SMITHFIELD, Va., June 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. announced today it has partnered withGranular, a leading farm management software platform, to help growers in its grain supply chain boost farm sustainability and efficiency while improving crop yields. The offer will be available to grain farmers in North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia who sell their grain to Smithfield.

With more than 13 billion pounds of feed consumed by Smithfield’s animals each year, maximizing grain production efficiencies is a key way the company is working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions25 percent by 2025throughout its entire supply chain. This offering complements Smithfield’s existing efforts to help farmers incorporate more efficient farming practices while increasing their bottom line.

“Over the last several years, we’ve focused on working alongside grain farmers in our supply chain to provide information and advice about strategies to improve fertilizer usage and crop production,” said Stewart Leeth, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at Smithfield Foods. “With Granular Insights, we’ll be able to partner those recommendations with a technology-driven solution to help drive farm profitability with fewer environmental impacts.”­­

Granular Insights with Directed Scouting uses high-frequency, high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor fields, allowing farmers to mitigate in-field pests and resolve other yield-diminishing problems before they spread and require additional resources.

“Smithfield growers now have access to Granular Insights, and will be able to not only easily and accurately manage their inputs, but also have an edge over pests and weather - the keys to protecting yield and increasing sustainability,” said Emma Fuller, PhD., Director of Sustainability Science at Granular. “With the data sets that drive profitability and optimize sustainability efforts at their fingertips, Smithfield growers will be able to take a holistic look at data from across their operation and combine it with satellite imagery and profit map overlays. And when farmers know more, they are able to do more with less time, energy and resources.”

To learn more about Smithfield’s sustainability initiatives and its support for local farmers, read the company’s2019 Sustainability Impact Report. To learn more about how Granular Insights with Directed Scouting can assist farmers, visithttps://granular.ag/granular-insights/.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc. Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 40,000 U.S. employees are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” and have made us one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including many industry firsts, such as our ambitious commitment to cut our carbon impact by 25 percent by 2025. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our neighbors in need. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich®and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visitwww.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us onFacebook,Twitter,LinkedInandInstagram.

Granular Insights

Granular is Farm Management Software (FMS) that is helping thousands of farmers to build more profitable and efficient farms today and steward their lands for generations to come. As the world’s leading FMS, Granular uniquely combines an industry-leading support team with the most recommended suite of easy-to-use powerful software to help farmers and their teams run all aspects of their farm business. From financials to agronomy to operations, farmers are now able to make data-driven decisions with greater confidence in an increasingly challenging environment.

Granular is San Francisco-based, with offices worldwide. Granular is an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Corteva Agriscience (NYSE:CTVA), a spin-off of DowDuPont™️. Learn more about our company and people athttp://granular.ag, Twitter,@GranularAg, and Instagram,@Granular_Ag, orfacebook.com/GranularAgriculture

Contact Information: Lisa MartinSmithfield Foods, Inc.(757) 365-1980lvmartin@smithfield.com